Transforming outcomes data into management information

This three-day training institute takes you through the steps required to plan and conduct a program of outcomes management and quality improvement, including:

Outcomes system design and data collection.

Data analysis and interpretation

Management reporting.

Identification of areas for quality improvement activities based on findings.

Featuring hands-on skills training for analysis and interpretation of outcomes data, this how-to institute is intended for individuals who are involved with the design, analysis, or interpretation of outcomes data within health and human services. Individuals in Canada may also be interested in the
Canada Advanced Performance Measurement.

The Transforming Outcomes institute is appropriate for administrators, data managers, directors of quality improvement, program managers, information management specialists, and direct service providers. It is useful for both the quality improvement (or data) manager and executive director or decision maker to attend. The institute is also open to university faculty interested in creating course content for training students to use outcomes data.

Sample outcomes data and off-the-shelf software are used to teach skills needed to develop an outcomes program consistent with CARF standards. The training institute includes different computer lab groups to meet the learning needs of participants with a broad range of computer and data analysis expertise.

Educational objectives

Provide an overview of how to use outcomes concepts and techniques as a tool to drive program decisions and improve rehabilitation practice.

Demonstrate how to set up and use a framework for evaluating your program's performance.

Describe the overall processes and strategies for the collection and analysis of outcomes data.

Develop skills in the planning of data collection procedures, including sampling strategies, characteristics of data collection tools, quality control procedures for data collection, and database layout.

Acquire basic skills in the analysis of outcomes data: examine central tendencies and trends, create control charts for summary statistics, use presentation graphics to explore data distributions and individual outliers, and examine differences in program outcomes that suggest areas for program development.

Apply the skills learned in this seminar to a quality improvement program in your own setting.